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Fans flock to Fenway

Fans greet Sox upon return to Fenway

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By Alex McPhillips
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MLB.com |

BOSTON -- Fans couldn't wait until Tuesday's Rolling Rally to see the 2007 World Series champions in person.

On a cold, crisp Monday afternoon, hundreds of Boston faithful jammed the length of Yawkey Way, surrounding the barricaded intersection of Van Ness Street, where six Red Sox team buses promised to arrive. Their patience was rewarded with glimpses of stars like Curt Schilling, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Varitek unloading their bags, and David Ortiz speeding out in his gleaming customized SUV.

David Danning, 56, stood back from the crowd, wearing a windbreaker and a Red Sox hat, while wishing he "was a little taller" so he could see over the mass of people.

"I came down here because I'm a huge Red Sox fan," said Danning, a fan since 1974 and a native of California, who was sitting in the right-field bleachers in 1978 when Bucky Dent hit his home run. "Originally, I was thinking of going to the airport [to see the team arrive]. But I was thinking I was never going to -- if I even found out where it is -- I don't think I could get anywhere close."

"But then I read about this," he added. "I'll go to the Rolling Rally also tomorrow."

Monday's rally also served as an unplanned but legitimate excuse to reorder priorities.

Jessica Arnold and Emily Lapean, 19-year-old students at nearby Lesley College, reported that they were skipping Spanish class to cheer on the Sox.

"And tomorrow, we're going to skip English [for the parade]," said Arnold, who wore a shirt that read, "Got Papelbon?"

Together, they held a sign that read, "Lesley College girls love our Boston Boys."

"We went to the game where [the Red Sox] won the division, and we hung out and watched the Orioles beat the Yankees," Lapean said. "So since then, we've just been all about it. We've gone to Fenway every game that they've played. Just to ... be in the atmosphere and everything."

"Our room is decked out [with Red Sox paraphernalia]," Arnold said.

"There's no wall space left," Lapean said. "We have all these signs hanging up and everything. Our room is going to go up in flames."